Miasma Heart
by The Katanna Twins
Summary: Kagome's adventures in the past have left her very ill. She moves to live with her Uncle in Tsuyukusa. What kind of life will she make for herself there? Will she get better, or has Naraku's miasma sealed her fate? Pairing undecided for now.


Miasma Heart

By: Ryu Katanna

Beta:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter One

Kagome woke with a start in her futon desperately trying to pull air into her wheezing lungs as she coughed violently. One hand held her chest in pain as her nails bit into the soft flesh under her palm while the other scrambled on the floor next to her before finally grasping her inhaler. It was only a few minutes after taking a couple breaths of the medication that her breathing started to ease, but the time seemed a lot longer as her lungs struggled to bring in needed oxygen. She jumped slightly at the unexpected feeling of a hand coming to rest gently on her shoulder.

"Are they always this bad?" Kagome looked up at the man who spoke; kneeling next to her as she remembered where she was.

Naraku had been defeated almost a year ago, and the Shikon No Tama had disappeared from existence. It was with the disappearance of the Shikon that Kagome's duty in the past had been fulfilled, and she had been returned to her home at the shrine in modern-day Tokyo. The power of the Bone Eaters Well had been sealed, and her way through time along with it. There hadn't been the time or the chance for her to even say goodbye to the friends she had made through the course of her travels. She had been forced to leave them behind as the last vestiges of the well's power had pulled her away from a time in which she didn't belong.

Kagome had been left to return to normal life in depression over the loss of her friends, but it hadn't lasted for long before the attacks that stole her breath from her had started. Her mother, terrified for her health, had rushed her to the hospital. It was there that she and her family had found out that she hadn't escaped her adventures into the past without lasting damage. The poison from Naraku's miasma had done permanent damage to her lungs after all of the exposure she'd had to it. It seemed the final battle had just exacerbated her condition.

What was worse was that the miasma's poison had managed to spread into her bloodstream, and from there to her heart. Kagome knew that if it hadn't been for the fact that she was a Miko then she would have died long ago. As it was, her power had managed to suppress the miasma's toxin from spreading any further. Yet the damage was already done, and for some reason, her power was unable to heal it while it was containing it to her heart and lungs.

There hadn't been much the doctors could really do to help. They had honestly been stumped as to the cause, but Kagome had known once they had mentioned exposure to poisonous fumes. There was only so much they could do to repair the damage, but her lungs, heart and immune system had still been left weak as the medication worked to filter the toxins from her body. Even her purification couldn't heal the damage done after it no longer had to work to contain the toxins. She would never be truly healthy again, and Kagome would most likely have to spend the rest of her life on medication for her breathing and weakened heart.

The doctors had warned them that her immune system could be severely compromised due to the damage, and they had not had to wait long to find out just how true their words were. The pollution in the air of the city had only served to aggravate her condition, and the strain on her body had made her weak. She had become sick with colds more easily and had spent more of the year in bed than not. It was after her recent severe case of pneumonia that Kagome had been hospitalized for the last two months. Kagome's mother had finally written to her older brother with a plea for help; not knowing what else she could do.

After what felt like a long month of letters back and forth, as where he lived had no phones or cell reception, Kagome's uncle had agreed for her to live with him as her mother had become more and more worried for her life. Kagome had been brought to the small village of Tsuyukusa where the air was much cleaner as soon as she had been well enough to travel. The village reminded her a lot of the past as there were no cars or factories, or really any more advanced technology. It was like the small town had been left behind by time. Kagome had arrived late in the evening by carriage in the next town over, and so had not had time to explore or meet anyone when her Uncle had brought her to his home.

"Sometimes it's better, and sometimes they're worse. I'm sorry if I woke you, Uncle Moriya." Kagome murmured, voice cracking from the pain in her throat, once she had caught her breath as she peeked up at the usually stern man.

"Nonsense, child. I would rather know when it happens in case I need to get the doctor. You're here to get better. That will take time." Moriya chided her as he looked at the young woman his sister had placed in his care.

Kagome smiled weakly up at him before he walked away to get her a glass of cold water to soothe her throat. She had not really spent much time with her uncle before as the village he lived in was so far away, and so remote. There had only been one summer she had spent there when she was very young. It was when her grandmother's health had started failing not too long after her father's death. Souta had not yet been born, and her mother had not wanted Kagome to witness as her grandmother went through that while she was still dealing with her father's loss and her pregnancy. She had been little more than a toddler at the time and didn't really remember her time spent in her Uncle's home above his shop.

"Thank you." Kagome said as she accepted the glass, and let the cool liquid soothe her throat.

"I will take you to see Dr. Ford in the morning. Try to get some more sleep. Do you need the machine or the medicine for your heart?" Moriya asked referring to the oxygen machine and many bottles of medication she had brought with her from Tokyo.

"I think I should use the machine. I'll take my medication in the morning." Kagome admitted as much as she didn't like it, but knew that it would help her sleep.

Moriya nodded before going to get it from where they had left her things after bringing them up the stairs from the shop. Yuiko had warned him about everything Kagome would need. As it was there was a thick stack of files on his desk with the treatments she had been receiving recently and her medical records. He would be taking it all with them for the doctor to look over and keep on file. There was also a notebook Kagome's mother had written for his own reference as he helped to care for his niece.

Once Kagome was settled with the oxygen tank next to her Moriya returned to bed. This was only the first night of what would be many more to come, he knew. Kagome would remain with him until she was well again, and even then she would more than likely not be able to return to the city. Yuiko had told him what the big-city doctors in Tokyo had been saying. She would probably have to live with this weakness for the rest of her life as the damage done was too extensive to be healed through the medication alone. There would be good days and undoubtedly bad ones. Moriya just prayed that she would get well enough to enjoy that life. It was with that silent prayer to the kami that the man drifted off for what time remained before sunrise.

123

Kagome adjusted the mask she wore as she stepped into Westown with her uncle. She had dressed warmly in a black kimono that had intricate patterns of cherry blossoms on the sleeves and down her legs to the hem on one side. Her mother had packed her clothing; choosing mostly traditional items as she knew most in Tsuyukusa dressed this way. The five layers of fabric would help to keep her warm in the early spring chill. She couldn't afford to get sick again when she was still getting over her pneumonia.

Already they'd had a busy morning. Moriya had introduced her to Sumomo, Shizu, Ittetsu, and Hinata before leaving the shop in their hands while they headed out. He had also made a point of taking her to Tea-ful Reunion to meet the town leaders Ginjiro, Megan, and Tototara during their meeting. She had learned that the heads of Tsuyukusa, Westown, and Lulukoko would meet there every morning so long as there wasn't a festival in one of the towns, or a major storm. They were also informed of her health condition in case she had any problems when she was out in any of the three towns without her uncle. Kagome found this reasonable as they would know to get Moriya or the doctor if she ever had one of her episodes.

She had no doubt that the others living there would learn of her reasons for moving to Tsuyukusa sooner or later anyway. Westown and Lulukoko were the two towns closest to Tsuyukusa, and all three towns were relatively small in population. Word would spread fast when someone new came, and Kagome knew that it would only be a matter of time before she had an attack in public. It would be better for her that someone understood what was happening so that she could get medical attention quickly if it was needed.

Now they were on their way to meet with Dr. Ford who lived in Westown. Kagome took a moment to take in the differences between Westown and Tsuyukusa as they walked. It really was like stepping into another culture. Kagome thought it looked a lot like the pictures in her world history books of the old west in the United States.

"This way, Kagome." Moriya said as he led her slowly up to a wooden platform, keeping his eye on her to be sure she was able to breathe with all the stairs, and then up again to stop in front of a white building.

There was a small garden in the front where crops grew and what looked to be a mining area off to one side. She could remember her uncle telling her about what the three towns were like the night before, and was reminded that Westown was a hub for both farming and mining. Kagome followed Moriya inside where she found herself in what looked like a small clinic waiting area. There was seating to her left, and what looked like a lab in the area off to her right. Farther back from the waiting area was what looked like the exam area. A white partition separated it from the waiting area, but not completely.

"Ah. Good morning, Moriya." A young man who looked to be only a few years older than her greeted her uncle with familiarity.

"Good morning, Dr. Ford. I've brought my niece here to see you today. I spoke with you a few days ago about her." Moriya replied as he moved away from Kagome to give the other man a better view of her.

"Good morning, Dr. Ford. It's nice to meet you." Kagome greeted him with a small bow only to receive a nod.

"You must be Kagome. Your Uncle has told me that you would be moving in with him for health reasons." Ford looked her over as if he could find clues about what was wrong with her by doing so.

"Yes. I will be in your care from now on." Kagome smiled gently as she bowed again and Ford nodded.

"Very well. Please come this way. I take it you have her medical files ready for me, Moriya?" Ford asked as he ushered them to the back and motioned her to sit on the examination bed before grabbing a chair for Moriya to sit over to the side of her and accepting the folders from the other man.

Ford started flipping through the files as soon as he placed them on the table next to her. He took several minutes as he read through everything carefully. Included in the files were the scans of her lungs and heart which Ford held up to the light to look at before putting them aside for a closer examination later. Finally, he came to the list of treatments Kagome had been on recently to which Kagome could see his brows rise a bit as he went through the list. He looked up at Kagome and Moriya when he was finished before speaking.

"How are you doing with the new breathing treatment that they prescribed you?" He asked, and Kagome shifted as she answered.

"It's better than the other one I've been on. I was getting sick with colds more often before pneumonia. I'm still having some problems since I'm still recovering but the oxygen mask helps." She said before Moriya spoke up.

"She had a breathing attack late last night." He informed the doctor of the night before.

"You did?" Ford asked, taking in that information.

"Yes, but I was fine with using my inhaler. I slept with my oxygen mask for the rest of the night with no more problems." Kagome confirmed with a nod.

"Hm. Let me have a look at you. You can take your mask off in here." Ford replied as he stood and moved his stethoscope from around his neck; putting the buds into his ears.

"Okay." Kagome said softly as she sat forward and removed her mask with some relief.

She let Ford examine her by listening to her lungs and heart and giving her a general overall exam while the itchy sensation of the mask faded from face. He spent several minutes listening to her lungs and heart while double-checking over her previous doctor's notes. Soon enough he pulled away and Kagome relaxed back into her seat. Ford looked back at Kagome and Moriya once he had stepped back before speaking.

"You still have a bit of fluid in your lungs from your recent sickness but it's not an alarming amount. It should clear up given a bit of time and is fairly normal with pneumonia. I'm going to keep you on the treatments you've already been prescribed until I've been able to read through your medical history more thoroughly. We'll make any adjustments as needed only after I do so. I'd like to monitor you for the foreseeable future, and so I would like to see you at least twice a week. At least until I'm sure your condition has stabilized completely. The repeated illnesses are not helping that. The clean air in Tsuyukusa should help relieve some of the stress on your lungs now that you are out of the city, but I will want to keep an eye on you to be sure of any progress." Ford told them both as he shuffled the papers around before putting them back into the folders to be looked over and stored with his other patient files.

"I will make sure she gets here." Moriya nodded in agreement with Ford's decision to monitor her.

"Very good. Keep wearing your mask when outside and stay away from unclean environments so you don't take a chance of aggravating your lungs or getting sick. It may be uncomfortable but I want you to use your oxygen when you sleep at least until the fluid in your lungs clears up. I don't want you on the ventilator. That may be part of the cause of your pneumonia in the first place." He continued with his instructions, getting a nod from her in understanding.

"Thank you, and it has been nice meeting you, Dr. Ford. Even if the reason for it isn't that great." Kagome said in reference to her health as she stood when Moriya did.

"You as well, Kagome. If there are any problems either come see me or ask someone to fetch me if there is an emergency. That includes if you fall sick again. Don't want you to leave your bed if you're feeling even a bit faint. Do you have any other questions for me?" Ford asked as she and her uncle prepared to leave.

"Yes. What are my restrictions on the things I can do for now?" Kagome asked hoping he didn't say bed rest.

She was so tired of being in bed. She just wanted to do anything else. Kagome wanted to be able to at least be helpful around her Uncle's shop now that he had taken her in. She also wanted to be able to explore her new surroundings a bit. When she had been back home in Tokyo Kagome had been restricted to her bed, and when she wasn't she had not been able to do much of anything outside of the house. She knew that it was because her mother had been worried about her, but she had always been an active person before all this.

"I would recommend bed rest until the fluid in your lungs has cleared up. Your immune system has not yet fully recovered from your most recent illness. It will give your body time to heal. It should only be for a week or two provided you take the time to rest properly. I will come to you at Ra Man's for our next visit, and if it's cleared up I would say it would be fine for you to do as you please though nothing that will cause any strain for a while. Try to keep your heart rate down. Take a few minutes to rest and slow your heart rate on your way home as you need to. Absolutely no running or even a brisk walk." Dr. Ford replied firmly so she would understand that she really wasn't in the condition to do much.

"Thank you, Doctor." Kagome answered unhappily as she thought about being restricted from pretty much everything for at least the next week.

"Thank you for seeing her Doctor Ford. We will see you in a few days." Moriya replied, receiving a nod from Ford, and turning to lead his niece out the door as she adjusted the mask back over her nose and mouth.

It was once they had left the small building that Moriya began to lead her back toward Tsuyukusa. Kagome took one last admiring glance around the town before they left. She knew that as soon as she was well enough she would be returning to explore a bit. She was genuinely curious about the town that was now her home as well as the other two nearby.

"Is that a hot spring bathhouse, Uncle Moriya?" Kagome asked softly as she stopped in front of the large building she had noticed as they had passed through town earlier that morning.

"It is, yes, though it is no longer in operation. It needs some repairs, but Ginjiro has been unable to acquire the funds, materials, and labor to do so. It is a shame. Perhaps it will be fixed in the future. I don't doubt that the hot spring could be beneficial for you. I shall have to bring it up with Ginjiro when I see him." Moriya replied as he stopped as well to look back at her before motioning for them to continue once she felt rested enough.

123456

Well, this is the first chapter. It's been a story idea that I've had for a while. I'm working on the next chapter, but posts will be slow coming as I continue. Most of my other stories are currently taking up my thoughts more than this one. I don't know how far I'll get with this, but I won't be giving up on it.

Please let me know what you thought!

~Ryu


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